The present invention relates generally to systems and methods of digital image recognition for automatically identifying and categorizing products purchased in retail establishments, such as supermarkets, so that a consumer can "check-out" the purchased items without the need for store personnel to manually perform this task.
Various systems have been devised in an effort to automate product identification and thereby facilitate the check-out process in retail establishments, particularly food stores. Currently articles are checked out in a supermarket or other store by clerks who key a price that is marked on each object into an electronic cash register or other computerized inventory and register apparatus. In the more automated systems, clerks use a scanner to scan the UPC (or other) bar code on the item which results in a Point-of-Sale (POS) system determination of the price of the item based on an electronic data message which translates the bar code into a number that is unique to that item and correlates to a price in the database of the POS system. The scanning of bar codes on articles has allowed supermarkets to greatly speed up the process of entering data for the purchase of goods thereby lowering its labor costs, since prices are no longer required to be placed on each item and the check-out clerks are able to input data with more speed. While use of the scanning system has made the check-out process more efficient, it still requires a person to perform an act (scanning) to obtain the necessary data concerning the product(s) being purchased. The cost of this labor is rising and continues to represent the major operating expense to many retail establishments, particularly those involved in the high volume sale of products.
Previous attempts have been made at providing a comprehensive check-out system without the continual assistance of store personnel. In U.S. Pat. No.4,676,343 for a "Self-Service Distribution System", a semi-automated supermarket check-out system is described. This system, however, requires use of a scanner system operated by the untrained customer with resultant delays in the check-out stations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,355 for an "Automatic Package Label Scanner" discloses multiple laser scanners that read all sides of an item without involving the customer in the scanning process other than placing the items on a conveyor at the check-out station. This system, however, requires store personnel intervention to register products upon which there are no bar codes which can be as high as 30% in some supermarkets. Additionally, this highly complex system requires a substantial initial investment, and requires continual and expensive maintenance support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,477, entitled a "Method for Optically Sensing Marks on Objects and Apparatus for Carrying Out the Method", represents a somewhat differing approach to reduce the amount of store personnel intervention in the check-out process by the use of multiple scanning sensors. In the event the system is unable to recognize and register an item passing through the check-out station during an initial scan, the item will make multiple passes through the scanning area and video cameras view the object for interpretation by store personnel.
None of the prior art systems or methods provide a relatively simple system for the automated check-out of retail items that is not dependent upon the involvement of customer or store personnel. Moreover, all the prior art systems rely principally upon bar code technology, and require a relatively expensive complex system, that is usually difficult to economically maintain. It therefore is an object of the present invention to overcome these deficiencies of the prior art systems and methods.